Science, politics, and poetry: A study of Lucretius' 'On the Nature of Things' (Titus Lucretius Carus, Roman Republic)

Lucretius' De Rerum Natura is usually understood to be a simple rendering of Epicurus' materialist philosophy into verse. It is also widely held that the poem was written to convert its intended reader Memmius to Epicureanism. There are however serious difficulties with this understanding. The first is Lucretius' choice to compose a poem rather than write a treatise. According to Epicurus, a wise man would possess knowledge of poetics but would not write poetry as poetry was contrary to a disciplined and moderate life.; The second major difficulty is the notion that Lucretius seeks to convert Memmius to Epicureanism. To ascribe this intention to Lucretius is complicated by the fact that Memmius is a less than promising student and unlikely to abandon his political life for that of philosophy. If Memmius is not capable of a genuinely philosophic life, then Lucretius must have had an ulterior motive for addressing his poem to him. In addition to friendship, Lucretius claims to be the first to bring genuine philosophy to Rome.; Lucretius argues that the political and social climate of Rome is inhospitable to philosophy. The perceived threat of philosophy to politics is summed up in the proem to Book I and the claim that the philosophic life is guilty of impiety. Lucretius must then provide an apology of philosophy to the city. Friendship with Memmius must then be compatible with the project of securing a place for philosophy in Rome. Lucretius' understanding of friendship is not high-minded but one of political utility and expediency. This understanding of Lucretius begins to resolve the difficulties attendant to Lucretius' choices of manner of writing and addressee.; Understood as an apology, Lucretius' poem raises issues worthy of our consideration. Among these are the relationship between philosophy and the city, the limited rationality of political life, the limitations of science, and finally, the quarrel between philosophy and religion. De Rerum Natura is political philosophy. It is both a philosophic treatment of politics, and a political, or polite, treatment of philosophy.